The year is 1890, on the Via Emilia, the most important commercial road of the town. Remigio Medici owned three successful taverns and decided to found a winery with the aim of making the most of the family vineyards, located between the Via Emilia and the foothills of the Enza valley. Remigio’s son Ermete expanded the business and consolidated the company’s reputation, before handing over the reins to his sons Valter and Giorgio, who began to export, further expanding the brand. The long history of Medici Ermete had officially begun…
In the 70s, the United States witnessed the “Lambrusco boom”, and it is important to underline how, together with Chianti, it was among the first Italian wines to be exported.
In 1988, sales for the entire Emilian sector collapsed following an ever-increasing production offer in terms of quantity and not quality. This particular situation led to the birth of sweet Lambrusco, an industrial product sold at very low prices, which in just a few years destroyed the good name of Lambrusco.
In that same year the fourth generation of the Medici family, Alberto and Pierluigi Medici, joined the company. A little later Alessandra too came along, now managing the company hospitality. These were fundamental years for the history of Medici Ermete: the family decided to revolutionise the production method of Lambrusco! The vineyards were replanted and the yields were lowered by 35% compared to the regulations (through a pruning system called cordon spur). From this pioneering philosophy, in 1993 our “Concerto”, a CRU of Lambrusco Salamino, was born.
Today the company owns about 80 hectares of vineyards (grown entirely organically), distributed among the areas with the highest wine-making vocation in the Emilia-Romagna region, and exports to over 70 countries in the world. Now in their fifth generation, represented by Alessandro, the Medici family can boast solid experience in the vineyard as well as the cellar.
They won their wager: the maximum enhancement of their wines. The winning idea was to create a close link between the territory and the wines produced, the rigorous selection of grapes, at the cost of a yield per hectare even 30-40% lower than the DOC regulations, but the guaranteeing wines of unprecedented quality.
Skilful vinification, in completely renewed plants, and a viticulture that is respectful of nature and the environment, complete the production cycle. The market response has been immediate and growing; wine guides together with prestigious awards have projected Medici Ermete products among Italy’s top wines. For the first time in history, Lambrusco enters the temple of excellence.